The Workshop will bring together the leading theoretical,
computational, and experimental scientists in the fields of granular/soft
materials and active biological systems to accomplish two key objectives.First, we seek to identify promising fruitful
research directions that will address the fundamental open questions that are
common to both nonliving, physical systems such as granular media and active,
living systems.

Some of the important questions that have emerged include:

1)what
are the "universal" properties of active matter that determine
large-scale behavior,

2)can
an improved understanding of active living matter lead to design strategies to
prevent unwanted jamming and glassy behavior in granular, colloidal, and other
physics systems,

3)to
what extent can bio-activity, collective behavior, and pattern formation in
biological systems be explained by physical forces, response, and fluctuations,
and

4)what are the similarities and fundamental differences
between living matter and driven dissipative systems?

Second, we seek to encourage international collaborations
among experimentalists and theorists in granular and active matter to develop
interdisciplinary research programs to tackle these open questions.

At present, the two research communities are somewhat
disjointed with minimal discussion and cross-fertilization of ideas, even
though both granular and active systems involve driven, dissipative systems.

The workshop will be considered a success if we establish
strong international and interdisciplinary collaborations and linkages among
research groups